Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[July 01, 2015] One of the oldest disagreements in human history is possibly about to be resolved; or at least the possibility exists that a long-running religious split might begin some healing. What is known as the East-West Schism or the Christian split is the break between what is now the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. So… Read More »
[June 30, 2015] A few years ago, a group of senior U.S. military officers flew into what is considered one of the world’s most dangerous airports (not in a combat zone) – Tegucigalpa, Honduras. While their mission was fairly benign, they were to discover that the level of violence and corruption in that country was staggering. Today, we… Read More »
[June 29, 2015] A few years ago I was asked to give a presentation on those things that were likely to brand senior military leaders as unprofessional. Putting aside for the moment that many senior officers have failed because of basic violations of law or due to bad personal habits, leaders also fail for more common reasons. For… Read More »
[June 28, 2015] I’ve often written about how an organization’s core values help drive the conduct of its people and its external relationships with customers and stakeholders. Many examples were offered to help illustrate this fundamental fact about organizational behavior. Today, I will depart somewhat from my earlier format to bring forward an example of a more controversial,… Read More »
[June 27, 2015] I remember my family sitting in front of our black and white RCA television set each evening to listen to Edward Murrow on CBS Evening News … and we only got good reception on that one channel. In the 1950s, Murrow was a favorite of my dad who insisted that we all hear about important… Read More »
[June 26, 2015] In 1978 I saw the comedy National Lampoon’s Animal House starring John Belushi who, with his friends, joins the worst fraternity on their college campus. I’m reminded of the movie’s college dean who is an insulated leader and not very ineffective when it came to dealing with the antics of John Belushi and problems with… Read More »
[June 25, 2015] One of the most successful long-running attributes of the U.S. Army has been their ability to understand their failures. Because of this desire and the military’s study of defeats on the battlefield, there has been much written about one of the most famous defeats of the U.S. Army, the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Well-known… Read More »
[June 24, 2015] As a young boy growing up in the Deep South, the Confederate Flag had little symbolic value but was more of a historical icon of the “Great Civil War.” The reason, I believe, was that all the adults in my life (baseball coaches, boy scout leaders, teachers, veterans) taught me to believe that it was… Read More »
[June 23, 2015] On this date in 1992, Mafia boss John Gotti, nicknamed the “Teflon Don,” is sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty to commit murder and racketeering. Earlier, he got the nickname after escaping unscathed; he was found not-guilty from several trails during the 1980s.1 That is not exactly what I mean when leaders… Read More »
[June 22, 2015] While we’ve all heard about the recent rise in racist behavior in America and its pervasiveness throughout the world, one thing we don’t hear about is how racism can affect decisions in war. For those who study racism, one of the best areas is how it worked to the disadvantage of United Nations (UN) forces… Read More »